New Scientist


Twisteddoodles on scientists in horror movies

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

This week's cartoon from Twisteddoodles


Tom Gauld on how to scare a scientist

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon


Why the world’s first spinal cord transplant is so controversial

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

A spinal cord transplant happened in people for the first time during a surgery in Russia, but the evidence underpinning it is lacking


Our verdict on Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel: Not her best book

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The New Scientist Book Club has been reading the Station Eleven author's latest speculative novel. While they found lots of things to praise, there were criticisms of the pace of this near-future-set story, says Alison Flood


The King’s Observatory could be yours for the low, low price of £18 million

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The King's Observatory in London, built on the orders of King George III so he could watch the 1769 transit of Venus, is up for sale. Feedback is interested – but not sure if our bank balance will stretch to the asking price


This week’s new questions

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

If aliens with technology similar to ours lived on a planet orbiting Proxima centauri (the next-nearest star), would we be able to see unmistakable signs of a technological civilisation? Of life? And what is the advantage of eggs over live births?


Why can’t we cool water as quickly as we can heat it? part 3

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

This question was posed as part of New Scientist’s Last Word series, in which readers give scientific answers to each other’s questions. Here’s what our readers had to say


Why do dogs usually follow instructions, but cats largely ignore them?

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

This question was posed as part of New Scientist’s Last Word series, in which readers give scientific answers to each other’s questions. Here’s what our readers had to say


Blue Planet III is the best yet from the BBC and David Attenborough

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The BBC has another game-changing hit in Blue Planet III, says Michael Le Page, with David Attenborough narrating and a smart dolphin


Can tiny microbes pack a mighty punch in the climate battle?

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Ecologist Steven Allison argues for the importance of microbes in fighting climate change in a convincing and hopeful book, The Age of Microbes, says Christa Lesté-Lasserre